


Superposition Principle

by badomens444



Series: Displaced [18]
Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: M/M, Universeal Alterations - World Switching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-27
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 12:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10741293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badomens444/pseuds/badomens444





	Superposition Principle

Well, it's high time I finished this series.

* * *

 

It seemed as though the endless winter's snow would end and spring come into full bloom before Yuri returned to Zaphias. The days of winter wore on, slower than the burn of the candle that lit his work at night, slower than the movements of the heavens, slower than the eroding of the earth.

Flynn missed Yuri. That wouldn't soon change. Weeks of time stretched out that short farewell at their parting to this moment. The lack of his presence had become easier, at least less of a distraction, but that didn't keep Flynn from wondering how Yuri was doing when the darkness of the night descended and threatened to swallow him in its all encompassing weight. The fact that there had been no word of him was both reassuring and frightening He could have been keeping himself out of trouble, but Yuri thrived on trouble. It was frightening because it felt like the whole word had just forgotten him and moved on like Yuri had never been here, like the months he'd spent had had no impact at all. But the impact was far further reaching than what remained n Flynn's heart.

It was in the swing of his word in the heat of practice and in the words he used to bring change about in the law. It was in every fiber of his being. But Yuri hadn't just changed /him/, he had changed the whole world. Snow felt colder, the rain lonelier, the stars burned brighter, and the sun was warmer. For all that had happened and all that it had hurt, Flynn didn't regret Yuri coming into his life.

Afternoon tea with Ioder kept his mind off of Yuri for a little longer after the meeting with the Council, but when he returned to his silent and empty office, there was nothing else he'd rather think about. He tried to move back into work, at least for a little while. Sodia, thankfully, provided a perfect distraction.

One of the captains he had promoted during the crisis had returned to Zaphias after a lengthy tour of duty and was eager to speak with him.

Captain Chloe Valens had been stationed at the outpost of Capua Nor and Flynn was very interested in seeing how the reconstruction efforts were going there, considering the loss of blastia, and the damage that the late Magistrate Ragou had caused.

Sodia showed her in and then excused herself.

Chloe saluted and he motioned for her to sit, taking a seat on the sofa opposite from her.

"Thank you for meeting with me, sir. I'm sure you've been busy."

"Not at all. I've heard of your work in the field and wanted to hear how our efforts abroad are going."

"Capua Nor is stabilizing finally. It feels like a port town again. Businesses have returned and the population is growing. The citizens say that the current Magistrate is fair and proper." She smiled and eased back against the sofa cushion. "The dock there suffered greatly from a recent storm, but it's being rebuilt and people are moving on without the blastia, although some of them are more accepting of it than others. And the new recruits that you sent me are promising. It's nice to see that they're being properly trained."

"It sounds like things are going well there." That put him at ease.

"Yes, although come spring, we'll need more troops to keep the seafaring monsters where they belong."

"I will do what I can. Thank you for your continued efforts."

"Speaking of monsters, I recently ran into a guild doing work in the area. Brave Vesperia, I believe."

His ears perked up and his mouth dried out.

"They helped push the Lord of the Plains back from the city last week."

"Did they...?" He asked softly.

"They were very helpful. They even volunteered to put part of the wall back together. One of them, a young man with long hair, asked me to give you this." From within her coat, she pulled an envelope, slightly bent and corners crushed, dotted with splotches of ink. She passed it to him across the table and he had to hold him back from snatching it up. He didn't open it yet. He wanted to enjoy its contents alone. But he held it in his hand, brushing his thumb over its heavy paper surface.

"Thank you."

"Not at all, sir. Although playing messenger for a guildsman was a little strange. But after all the help that he and his guild gave us, I couldn't deny the request." She stood, her heels hitting the floor with a click. "My lieutenant filed a full report on the situation there with Sodia. If I may be excused, sir. Unless you have need of something else?"

"No, no. Please. Get some rest before you return to Capua Nor, and, again, thank you for your hard work."

She saluted and slipped out, leaving Flynn with his letter. He was anxious to open it, but sat frozen on the couch staring at it. Yuri had taken the time to write to him, even while off on his own adventures, and although he wished Yuri had just come back to visit, this was something. This was everything. It meant that Yuri hadn't simply forgotten him while being swept up in travel and guild work and healing. It meant that Yuri still thought of him, even if distantly, and that was the world to Flynn.

Perhaps the distance was as hard on him as it was on Flynn, although he doubted that. Maybe it was word of a visit in the near future, or tales of Yuri's travels, or even just word that he was all right. He would welcome any of them and hope for all of them.

He went to rip it open, but it was not to be. From the door, Sodia called to him. Another officer in the field arrived, in fact a pair. Two lieutenants from Aurnion. He put the letter into his breast pocket. It would have to wait until he was done with work.

The lieutenants came with an urgent request for supplies. Sickness was tearing through the ranks and half of the town's regular population. They needed medicine, blankets, and fire logs. While Sodia went to take care of gathering the supplies, the lieutenants huddled on his sofa, chattering on about the cold of the winter there and the influx of monsters nearing the town in search of food. But they also spoke of a similar incident to what Captain Chloe had: a guild had arrived on a ship carried by a dragon and brought enough emergency supplies to tide them over until the lieutenants could make it here, and they had helped drive back the monsters. Flynn knew before they said it that it was Brave Vesperia. They also spoke of a dark haired man with strange mannerisms and speech who was with the guild, and of how well he used a sword.

So Yuri had taken up a sword again. It was promising and surprising. After the incident with Ragou, he had been reluctant to hold a blade, and now he was fighting. He really was healing.

Even after the lieutenants left, more reports filed in, letters mostly, on the state of things in the various towns the knights were stationed in. Not all of them, but most of them had one thing in common: Brave Vesperia and Yuri.

Most of the letters spoke highly of him, although a few of the officers in the field seemed to disapprove of Yuri's way of doing things. He had apparently beaten a knight in a bar brawl in Mantaic, and spent the night in jail for it. There were other things, wonderful things mostly, how he had been seen helping a woman in Rorael fix her roof or other things.

Each report brought the warm swell in his chest for Yuri higher and higher, hotter and brighter, until it felt like a flame burning within him, an all consuming fire that burned away the cold and sadness and the misery. Yuri was going to be fine.

 

It was late when he was allowed to finally seek the comfort of his bed, no longer so cold and barren. There was still a spot there where Yuri belonged, but it was far less lonely.

He had carried the letter with him all day and finally fell back into his bed, and tore it open. He unfolded the pages of ivory, ink stained paper and settled in to read.

Yuri was capable of reading and writing the common script of Terca Lumireis, but his handwriting was sloppy and his letters badly formed. Flynn didn't care. Yuri had bothered to write to him and according to the progression, it had been over the course of a few weeks, and often in a rush.

_Flynn,_

_I've seen so much of the world, Terca Lumireis, since I left the capital. Flying on Ba'ul is a lot of fun. After leaving Zaphias, we stopped in Halure to see Rita and Estelle. The tree there is huge! Why didn't you take me there? I bet it would be great for climbing. Estelle said that out of winter, it's covered in pink flowers. I can't wait to see it._

The letter detailed all the places Yuri had been and some of the things he'd done, but very few of the things that the knights had reported. Except the bar fight. He described that in excess detail. It looked like Judith and Karol were giving him the full tour. In the margins of the letter, he had made little sketches: the barren tree of Halure, one of Ba'ul, one of a Comrade Crest next to a paragraph where Yuri described being sworn into the guild and being an official member and going to Dahngrest. From the letter, Yuri was now on friendly terms with Raven, although he described him as being 'the worst ninja' and 'fishy' and 'weirdly two faced'.

He wrote of Aurnion, covered in snow in the shade of the mountains and how bright the stars were there. He talked about the pack of Criti and how they had been tough and went on to say:

_I've got a pretty cool scar now. Still hurts a bit, but Judith said that it serves me right for being reckless. She tied the bandages super tight and then slapped it. Ow. By the time I'm back, the bandages can come off and I'll show it to you._

Beside this, he had drawn a blobby figure of what Flynn assumed was Yuri and pointed an arrow to where the scar must have been located, on Yuri's right side at his ribs. Flynn would have been worried, and he was a little, but this very letter and its continuance was evidence enough that Yuri was okay.

Page after page was the same, Yuri describing where he had been and the things that had happened there. It was refreshing to see his take on the world, to see things through his eyes, and Flynn couldn't help but wish that he had been the one to show Yuri all those wonderful things.

_Hey, Flynn. What are 'blasteeuh'? We keep seeing all these broken machines laying around and whenever I ask about them, they only tell me that they're called 'blasteeuh' and that they don't work anymore. Why? Did something happen to them?_

He still hadn't told Yuri about what had happened with the Adephagos. He had been meaning to, but had just never gotten around it it. Yuri deserved to know.

_Capua Nor is nice. Fought a big monster here. I think they called him the 'Lord of the Plains'. Oh yeah. Karol's continuing my sword training while I'm away so I can keep fighting monsters. I think I'm doing well, but Judy won't spar with me yet._

_I'm hoping the captain here will deliver this for me. It can't hurt to ask her. Oh well, I'm going to go. We're off to Nordopolica next to help a guy named Natz. Karol said there's a big Coliseum there. I'm really excited._

_I hope everyone in Zaphias is okay. I'll try to make it back for a visit soon. Repede says hi too. Here's his paw print. I'll see you soon._

_-Yuri_

Flynn had honestly hoped for a better end to the letter, a more finite promise of a homecoming, but it was enough. Maybe Yuri didn't miss him the way he was missed, and he if he did, he didn't say it, but he had bothered to write in the first place.

He should have set the letter aside and gone to sleep, but he couldn't. Yuri deserved a response, and writing one might help Flynn cope with him being away the way Yuri was coping. So, rather than sleep, he strode to his desk and pulled out a small stack of parchment. Pen in hand, he started to put his thoughts on paper.

_Dear Yuri,_

_I'm glad that you and Repede are having a good time. Give him a scratch behind the ears for me. I enjoyed reading all about your travels and what you've been doing. I hope that you are still having fun in this great big world. I'm glad to hear that you've been continuing your training. We should spar when you come back, and Judith is a formidable foe. She could easily beat me if she ever fought at full force._

_As for the blastia, I owe you an explanation that I've been meaning to give you for some time. This is the story of how the world changed only months before your arrival here._

He started it like one of Estellise's childrens' stories. A little childish for Yuri, but it would be easy for him to understand the very complex situation that had occurred and had shaken the foundations of everything that Flynn had once known.

_Once upon a time...._

 

 


End file.
